NOTE: Teshuva, repentance, is an incredible tool. It is not only about guilt, but also about repair. In order to begin the healing process — for self, community or the world — one must first acknowledge one’s shortcomings. In a brave step, a refreshing departure from the denial and apologetics often heard on the subject […]
Teshuva Towards Our Mothers, Sisters, Spouses and Daughters Read More »
What is modesty? The Hebrew word tsanua can mean modest, humble, simple, austere or small. The Hebrew word tzniut has the additional connotation of chastity and morality. The intersection between these two meanings illuminates the very different ways the concept of modesty has been gendered in Orthodox communities today. Each of these concepts of modesty
Modesty and the Modern Jewish Woman Read More »
Until the past twenty-five years, the world did not recognize the dangerous impact and the frequency of sexual abuse. There is little discussion in earlier halakhic sources about sexual abuse. Rape is mentioned in the Torah, and, as with other prohibited sexual behaviors, the precise criteria to define an act as rape can be found.
JUDAISM AND SEXUAL ABUSE: The Need to Speak Out Read More »
I. It is good to give tzedaka before morning prayers. With lighter pockets, prayers rise higher. It is good to give tzedaka before fasting. With another’s hunger filled, ours becomes more holy. It is good to give tzedaka before Shabbat. The candles will glow more warmly; our rest will be filled with joy. It is
The history of Orthodox women’s organizations in America is as old as Orthodox settlement on these shores. The earliest groups were created as auxiliaries, sisterhoods, and benevolent societies of synagogues and religious schools for boys. Yet, their work went far beyond service to their host-and primarily male-institutions. The women’s groups modeled themselves on the chesed
Women’s Organized Tzedaka and Chesed in America A Historical Perspective 1 Read More »
People want our tzedaka dollars. We are all deluged by solicitations, whether through phone calls, online requests, mailed letters, or even directly by sh’lichim, supplicants, on our doorsteps. At s’machot, conferences, lectures, and other public events, we are solicited–sometimes almost tackled–by friends, acquaintances, family members, and even people we do not know. What should we
Striving to Align Our Tzedaka With Our Values Read More »
Having just gone through a season of giving, I suppose it may be impolitic to point out that the Torah never commands us to give money to the poor. Instead, there are numerous adjurations to lend money to those in need. The assumption throughout is that the money will be repaid. Other laws delineate gifts
Can You Spare a Loan? The Evolution of Tzedaka in Rabbinic Literature Read More »
Serious Jews of both genders consider it their responsibility to be charitable. Our tradition has much to say about the philosophy of tzedaka, from the personal to the institutional and from the demonstration of compassion to the expression of patronage. Given the ubiquity of tzedaka requests in our lives, it seems important for us to
Allocating One’s Tzedaka: Some Thoughts on Giving Read More »
Although Tisha B’Av is a day of great mourning, tradition nevertheless associated with it an element of consolation. There is embedded in the destruction the hope of future redemption. A famous story in Tractate Makkot (24b) tells of Rabbi Akiva laughing as he walked through the ruins of Jerusalem while his friends were all weeping
Mourning and Consolation Read More »
As a student in an Orthodox day school, I often heard the story of Nahum Ish Gamzu, who responded to the tragedies he suffered with the phrase, “Gam zo l’tovah–this, too, is actually a good thing.”1 We were told, through this story and others, that true faith in God should lead us each to look
Eikha Rabbah and Righteous Anger Read More »
